A month of many firsts

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Participated in my 1st spin class today. It was...interesting. Was dripping sweat by the end of the 37 minute session, seemed like it could be potentially useful regarding increased power generation. The intervals were more like race conditions, rather than riding "in the wild" so to speak, because I don't typically get close to redlining out in the field unless racing, or possibly when mountain biking. Good tool to add to the repertoire.

I've wanted to go bike camping for a while now, and over the weekend, DW and I scheduled it and hoped for a favorable weather window. Watched the hourly weather forecast, temps, etc. Made the final decision to go for it last minute because there was a forecast of 30% rain and there were reports of some downed trees and a minor landslide on a section of the Great Allegheny Passage that we would be traversing, but reports were that it was being cleared and would be cleared by the time we passed through.

We went for it. Cloudy on the way down, re-purposed the kids bike trailer to carry gear, and started the ride down. I ended up underestimating the distance, I estimated 12 miles down, plus or minus a couple. Ended up being 18.6 miles one way. Mr. Tiny didn't let me forget it, either. They were troopers, though. We traveled alongside the Youghiogheny River, through forest, past towns and abandoned mines, old graveyards.

Took several hours, but when we got to camp, it was awesome. They had bike racks at the campsites for through riders/campers and had raised platforms to pitch your tent on. Very flat and nice. We got the fire going and the hot dogs/fresh corn/smores dinner was some good recovery food.

The small dudes had a fun time playing in camp and the tent with their flashlights, watching the campfire, and observing the lightning bugs.

I've never seen so many lightning bugs in one place. The campsite was lit up like a dance floor, with thousands of flashing micro stars surrounding us. The moon was out, so it was this surreal nightscape.

Mr. Tiny and Big Boy slept like rocks, which was surprising, considering the fact that I hadn't planned on the Great Allegheny Passage having a live railroad on the other side of the river. Makes sense considering the trail itself is rail trail, but man, was it loud.

Life is an adventure, we have the opportunities to make memories while pushing our limits and extending outside our comfort zones.

Wow! I have never even heard of those places. I have spent so many years in the Midwest living a sedentary lifestyle. Now I enjoy hearing these stories and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I love that it is a family event for you all.

That is awesome about the trip. I made the trek from Pitt to DC along that trail and the C&O Towpath about 2 years ago. I loved it. I loved the Passage trail much better than the Towpath though. Gashed the elbow on a rock along the towpath. But it was a neat experience although we used hotels instead of camping. Not much for camping after riding any real distance.